Limited Series

Golden Globes tweak movie and TV rules, set deadlines

We knew that the Golden Globes was set for this coming Jan. 11 and now we have confirmation from the group that puts on these awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., of the timetable leading up to the 72nd annual edition.

Entry forms are due on Hallowe’en while nomination ballots will be sent out on Nov. 26, the day before Thanksgiving. Studios have until Dec. 3 to screen their contenders and until Dec. 6 to hold press conferences for HFPA members. Their nomination ballots are due the next day. Nominations will be unveiled on Dec. 11 while final voting kicks off Dec. 22 and runs until Jan. 7.

Tina Feyand Amy Poehler are hosting for the third year running; their second turn at the podium reaped an Emmy bid where it contends for a Special Class award against, among others, both the Oscars and the Tonys, as well as the opening of the Winter Olympics and the live version of “The Sound of Music.”

The HFPA tweaked several rules this year.

On the movie side, foreign-language fare and animated films are precluded from contending for either of the two top prizes — Best Drama and Best Musical/Comedy. In addition, animated films are not eligible for Best Foreign Language Film. This year, the Japanese animated film “The Wind Rises” contended for that award, losing to eventual Oscar winner “The Great Beauty” from Italy.

The Globes are following the Oscars by restricting animated films to those that use “hand drawing, stop motion, pixilation, animation software or a similar technique.” This narrow definition does not encompass motion-capture movies.

On the TV side, Best Miniseries has been renamed Best Limited Series. That category is open to programs of at least two parts that run for at least 150 minutes in all an tell “a complete, non-recurring story.” By comparison, regular series are defined as those in which “the on-going theme, storyline or main characters must be presented under the same title and have continuity of production supervision within the year and from year to year.”

So, while “True Detective” contends as a Drama Series at the Emmys, it would be a Limited Series at the Golden Globes. Conversely, “Sherlock,” which has in the past been slotted in the movie/mini races, should be considered as a drama series by the HFPA.